Harp.



Patented Mar.Y 6, |9U0. G. F. LYDN.

H A B P.

(Application led Kay 19, 1899.)

llolodel.)

Yaya/fiar Zja/z 55 fand secured to hooks ZJ on the back frame UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE FRANTZ LYON, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

HARP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 644,987', dated March 6,1900.

Application tied May 19, 1899.

To dit whoml it may concern:

Beit known that I, GUsTAvn FEANTZ LYON, a citizen of France, residing atParis, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHarpe, of which the following is a specifi-cation.

My present invention relates to certain iinprovements in harps of thetype shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 008,058, mypurpose being to provide simple and novel means for attaching thestrings by which the sound-yielding properties of the instrument shallbe increased.

I will describe my invention in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a view showing part of the back frameandsounding-board of a harp and illustrating the old method of attachingthe strings to the back frame side by side with one form of my inventionfor the same purpose. Figs. 2 and 3 are views showing similar portionsof the instrument with modified forms of my invention.

In the said drawings, the reference-letters a and a indicate two of thestrings of a harp, the former being attached to the back frame c andsounding-board e in accordance with my invention, while the latter, a',is shown as attached to the same parts in the manner heretoforepracticed. In the ordinary harp these strings, which are attached attheir up per ends to pegs in the hollow head, (not shown,) have theirother ends passed through openings d in. the sounding-board eand bars cof the harp, as described in the Letters Patent No. 608,058,hereinbefore mentioned. As the openings CZ are formed at an angle to theline ofdirection of the string, the latter is compelled to bend at twopoints in passing the sounding-board, and its friction in the. saidopening d is so great that it may beregarded as practically fastenedfirmly to the sounding-board. The portion of the string between thepoints d and h merely serves to connect the sounding-board e to the backframec. Said portion is very short and has very little, if any, capacityfor extension.

It will readily be understood that if the sounding-board and back framebe connected by a considerable number of strings in the same manner thatthe string a is attached in Serial No. 717,513. (No model.)

Fig. l the sounding-board would practically be rigid, and its vibrationswould be prevented, as each of the points d would be in capable ofmovement. To avoid this objection, I effect the connection by means Vofsprings g, of spiral form, which are connected at one end to the backframe c and at the other end to the string ci or to an intermediatedevice, as in Fig. 2, or directly to the soundingboard, as shown in Fig.3.

In Fig. l of the drawings I have shown a single string a passed throughan opening d in the sounding-board c and bar f substantially in the samemanner as the string ct. Instead, however, of being extended to the backframe c and attached to a hook b the string a is terminated at or nearthe sounding-board and its end is attached to one terminal of a spiralspring g, the other terminal of said spring being secured to a hook Z2on the back frame. The spring g is of such length that when connected tothe end of the string or other part it will be under a proper degree oftension to counteract `the traction exerted by the string, which wouldotherwise be wholly sustained by the sounding-board. By a slightmodification of the invention thetraction of the string a upon thesounding-board may be regulated. In Fig. 2 of the drawings the letter 7idenotes a dog having a curved or hemispherical head 7i', which lies overthe opening d and against or close to the rear face of thesounding-board. This hemispherical head is provided with an aperture,through which the end of the string is passed, a knot or other meansbeing provided to prevent it from being Withdrawn. The spring g, whichis shorter than the distance from b to d, must for this reason beplaced'under tension in order that its ends may be connected to the hookh and to the end of the dog h. lfVhen the traction of the string a drawsthe dog against the sounding-board, as shown in Fig. 2, it is evidentthat the counteracting power of the spring will be at its maximum andthat it cannot be increased without dis connecting the spring andshortening it. In Fig. l, on the'other hand, a slip of the string a inthe opening d can increase the tension of the spring and to that extentdecrease the traction of the string a upon the soundingboard. By theemployment of an intermedi- .TOO

ate device like the dog /L each string can be made to eXert upon thesounding-board such a fractional part of its own traction as may benecessary in order to secure the best results. It is not essential,however, that the springs be attached either directly or otherwise tothe strings. I may obtain the same results by the construction shown inFig. 3, in which the ends of the strings a are secured to the soundingboard c by any suitable means, such as peg c', inserted in the openingsd. The springs g are secured at one end to the hooks b, as before; buttheir other ends are attached directly to the sounding-board by passingthem through openings in said board, formed parallel with the directionof the strings. The ends ot the springs are screw-threaded to receivemilled nuts m, which bear upon abutments n. By adjusting the nuts thetension of each spring can be regulated.

With the construction last described the number of springs used may bedetermined according to the requirements of the case, while in both theforms shown in Figs. l and 2 the springs must be as many as there arestrings.

It is evident that the nut m may be placed elsewhere without departingfrom the invention.

I am aware that prior to my invention springs have been used inconnection with stringed musical instruments, but only for the purposeof maintaining the notes given by the strings. For this purpose thesprings have usually been arranged parallel with the sounding board.They cannot, therefore, modify the vibrations of the board. In myinvention the springs are arranged at an angle of about sixty degreeswith the soundingboard.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Iletters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. In aharp,the combination with the sounding-board, the back frame, andthe strings pullinnr on the sounding-board, of springs interposedbetween the sounding-board and back frame and having a tension tocounteract the tractien exerted by the strings on the sounding-board,substantially as described.

2. In aharp,the combination with the sounding-board, the strings pullingon the sounding-board,and the back fra1ne,ot` a series of spiral springsconnected to said back frame and sounding-board and having a degree oftension to counteract the traction of the strings upon thesounding-board, substantially as described.

3. In a harp, the combination of a sounding board, a series of stringsattached to said sounding-board, a back frame, and spiral springsattached at one end to the back frame and having their other endssecured to the sounding-board, said springs being under a proper tensionto counteract the traction of the strings on the sounding-board.

4t. In a harp, the combination with a soundin g-board of stringsattached at one end thereto, spiral springs having one end attached tothe back frame and the other ends passed through openings in thesounding board formed parallel with the strings, and milled nuts turnedon threaded ends of said springs to regulate their tension,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GUSTAVE FRANTZ LYON.

NVitnesses:

EDWARD P. MACLEAN, ALFRED Fairy.

